The Detroit Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg mid-season but have been able to overcome that setback and will play the Minnesota Vikings at home for the top seed in the NFC in Week 18.
That contest will carry the same stakes regardless of the outcome of the Lions' "Monday Night Football" game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30.
Now imagine what Detroit's team/stakes might look like heading into the playoffs next season if the organization can pair Hutchinson -- already a Pro Bowl defensive end -- with one of the few young edge rushers in the league who might actually be even better than him.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson.
© Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
That outcome isn't crazy. Far from it, in fact, according to the online Sportsbook Bovada, which dubbed the Lions the most likely home for three-time All-Pro outside linebacker Micah Parsons if he doesn't return to the Dallas Cowboys in 2025.
Bovada listed Detroit (+475) as the most likely destination, aside from Dallas (-220), for Parsons to play Week 1 of next season. The Kansas City Chiefs (+500) came in right behind Detroit, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers (+600) and the Chicago Bears (+650).
Parsons, 25 years old and the former No. 12 overall pick in 2021, is playing in the fourth season of his four-year, $17.1 million rookie contract. The Cowboys have already exercised their fifth-year option on that deal, which will pay Parsons $24 million in 2025 alone.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
However, he is eligible to negotiate a long-term extension in the spring and has a projected market value of $30 million annually over a new three-year deal. Dallas broke the bank last offseason on contracts for quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240 million) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million), which could complicate Parsons receiving the type of offer he's expected to seek.
Those circumstances could potentially result in a trade, which is the only way Parsons will end up in a new uniform over the spring/summer.
The Lions and Chiefs make sense as potential trade partners because they can both use elite pass rushers off the edge and are each clearly in the midst of open Super Bowl windows.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are probably one tier below that level and trying to climb, while the Bears -- 18 years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance -- are trying to turn around nearly two decades of sustained incompetence.
